Olga Weis
RDP sessions are widely used and are extremely useful for remote workers. One issue that can come up is the difficulty in establishing access to a webcam through RDP. Connecting to a locally connected webcam can be very challenging when working with these USB devices in the remote desktop.
One of the major problems faced when attempting to share a webcam over RDP is simply getting the device recognized by the remote session. This can cause a serious disruption when you are trying to set up a Skype for Business RDP webcam connection to communicate with a client or coworker.
We present a solution that allows users to easily share a webcam over RDP. It’s a software solution that enables any type of USB device to be accessed from a remote desktop session.
USB Network Gate should be installed on the machine that is physically connected to the webcam as well as any machines that will use the device over RDP. Here are detailed steps on how to use webcams over remote desktop:
Once communication between the machines is complete, the remote computer will recognize the shared device and display it in Device Manager. This is a virtualized device that provides the same control and functionality as a local connection.
Note: For convenience, a single app contains both the server and client portions. Only the server part of the program needs to be registered, the client does not need registration. USB webcams that are shared by a registered server can be accessed by any USB Network Gate client.
USB Network Gate provides users with multiple benefits when setting up a remote desktop connection to a webcam. Following are some of the features of this versatile connectivity solution.
✅ Cross-platform compatibility
USB Network Gate supports cross-platform connectivity with machines running any supported operating system able to act as the server or client. You will be able to use local webcam in remote desktop on Windows, Linux, and Mac, with a plugin available for FreeRDP webcam redirection. Any platform can share webcams or other USB devices with any other supported OS.
✅ Support for popular video conferencing software
This solution to forward a webcam over RDP is compatible with Skype, Slack, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and many other video conferencing applications.
✅ Supports most webcams
No special configuration is required to use virtually any webcams or USB devices in an RDP session.
✅ Strong security
Security for all data transmitted using USB Network Gate is assured through the use of advanced encryption.
✅ Bandwidth optimization
USB Network Gate uses dynamic compression to minimize the size of video streams and boost data transfer speed. The application can be configured to meet the capabilities of your network.
✅ Secure and separate access
USB Network Gate protects confidential information when deployed in a multi-user environment. Webcam traffic is isolated within each user’s remote session so there is no chance of a person’s video connection being viewed by another user.
✅ No webcam drivers are required
No webcam drivers need to be installed on remote client machines that will be used to access a shared USB peripheral. This makes it easier to introduce and share new webcams in the working environment.
The webcams that do not work on remote desktop due to misconfigured Group Policies or a missed checkbox in the Remote Desktop Connection Manager is a common issue.
Use the following steps to make a webcam available for connection to a remote desktop session:
RemoteFX USB webcam redirection is designed to allow users to easily access remote devices and have them work seamlessly. RemoteFX USB redirection occurs at the port protocol level, similarly to how serial or parallel ports are redirected in remote desktop. It supplements high-level redirection like that used with drives. Used in conjunction with high-level redirection, RemoteFX USB webcam redirection gives users more functionality and flexibility.
